Should the Vikings add a former first-round pick to their offensive line?

Should the Minnesota Vikings take a chance on offensive tackle Ereck Flowers, a 2015 first-round pick who was recently waived by the New York Giants?

Five games into the 2018 season, it’s pretty clear that the offensive line is the weakest part of the offense for the Minnesota Vikings.

It’s a unit that has been marred by injuries (Nick Easton and Pat Elflein) and one that has struggled to both pass block and run block. Minnesota’s offensive line looked a little better in Week 5 against the Philadelphia Eagles, but the unit still has a long way to go before it is able even be considered satisfactory.

One thing the Vikings’ offensive line has been lacking this year has been depth. Before the regular season even began, Minnesota had already lost Easton and backup Aviante Collins for the entire year due to injuries.

Minnesota Vikings

Even though he was regarded as somewhat of a project, the Vikings have already been forced to give rookie offensive tackle Brian O’Neill a bunch of playing time this season because of injuries to other blockers. O’Neill has done okay in three appearances, but Minnesota would likely prefer him to sit and learn from the sidelines this year.

If the Vikings are looking to add depth at one of their tackle spots, they may be interested in taking a glance at Ereck Flowers.

Drafted in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft, Flowers was waived by the New York Giants on Tuesday after a disappointing tenure in the Big Apple.

Regarded by many as a raw prospect when he was drafted, the 24-year-old offensive tackle was never able to live up to the expectations that came with being selected in the first round. Given his age though, it’s possible that Flowers can still salvage some sort of career in the NFL.

During his first three seasons with the Giants, the young blocker started 46 games as the team’s left tackle.

As a rookie in 2015, Flowers gave up the most pressures (69) of any offensive lineman in the NFL. The following season wasn’t much better for him as he finished with the second-most pressures allowed (59) in the league.

Flowers improved slightly in 2017, but he still ended up allowing 41 pressures that season (14th-most in the NFL).

Due to his struggles on the left side of the offensive line, New York attempted to move him to right tackle this year. But Flowers was benched by Week 3 after allowing 11 pressures in his first two starts.

So as much as adding a 6-foot-6, 325 pound blocker for depth seems like a good idea for Minnesota at this point in the season, it may be better for them to let another team try and salvage the young offensive lineman’s career.

Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer has already seen his share of turnstile offensive tackles during his time with the team. Which is why Minnesota will likely pass on signing Flowers this year.

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